Verde
by Huntress79
Summary: Short after the beginning of Spring, David Rossi notices, like the rest of the team, a sudden mood change in Penelope. Answer to the Spring Competition on Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts Forum. Full summary inside, R/G friendship
1. Chapter 1

Verde

Summary: Short after the beginning of Spring, David Rossi notices, like the rest of the team, a sudden mood change in Penelope. Without hesitation, he decides that he will show her the Italian way of life – and give her and another person a heads up about love.

Notes: Answer to the Spring Competition on Criminal Minds Weekly Prompts Forum. My chosen character was David Rossi, Pen was assigned to me along with the following prompts: "green, late, a surprise visit". Title is Italian for "Green".

* * *

On March 29th, the latest case for the BAU elite team was finally over. They had won in the hazardous game the unsub decided to play with them and the local LEOs in that little backwater town in Northern Texas. Now the team was on the plane back home to Quantico. David Rossi took his place in the back of the plane, enabling him to watch over his colleagues. Spencer Reid, resident genius, was sprawled over the couch and asleep in a matter of minutes. Derek Morgan sat right opposite him, with his headphones on, as usual. In front of them, on the left side of the plane, Emily Prentiss and Jennifer "JJ" Jareau decided to unwind by doing some online "hunting" for clothes. The other table resembled a mobile office, if only for an untrained eye. Well, truth be told, Aaron Hotchner did the necessary paperwork for real, but David Rossi knew this man long enough to recognize a change. Since he had joined the team almost five years ago, he saw quite a lot of changes in his younger friend. Sure, most of them were so small that they were unaware even to the rest of the team, but they were there. David also knew that, thanks to the job and to the downside of it, the Aaron he now worked with had hardly any resemblance with the young former ADA/FBI cadet he used to train and form back in the early days of the BAU.

But Aaron wasn't the only team member David was worrying about. It was their technical analyst Penelope Garcia, to most of the FBI staff known as the "Tech Goddess". Like with so many other cases, it was her and her ability to open every file about the unsub and his life, no matter how safe they thought the encryption was, that helped them solve their latest case. But everyone on the team, not to mention the sheriff and his deputy, noticed the sour mood the usually jovial blonde had. While watching his younger teammates, David Rossi began to plan. A plan which would be set in motion very soon.

* * *

When Penelope Garcia came home this evening, all she wanted to do was to have a long hot bath, a glass of wine (maybe more) and a sappy, classic screwball comedy to watch. A horrible case like the last one, where a first-class lunatic killed whole families for no real reason, left her empty, sad and worried at the same time. Empty, because searching for a detail the team could use as a leverage on the unsub to surrender drained every drop of energy out of her. Sad, mostly because there was no real reason why he did it or why he chose exactly those families. And worried, because she knew from the files that people like that hardly gave up when being cornered by the police. They rather went down in a blaze of "glory", taking as much as LEOs with them as possible. And she always worried for her team, her family. She was about to get undressed and to slip into her bathtub when she heard her doorbell ring. She couldn't help but letting out a frustrated growl. First of all because it was almost ten in the evening, and secondly, she didn't ask for any company, not tonight. But she put on her robe nonetheless and marched over to her door, determined to shoo her "guest" away as quick as possible. But when she opened her door, the words were stuck in her throat.

"David Rossi, what….?"

"Kitten, we have to talk. May I come in?"

They stood there for several seconds, like they were frozen or rooted to the spot. But then, Pen snapped out of her reverie and stepped back, telling her colleague to come in.

"Why are you always dressed in almost nothing when I'm coming here?"

Dave's quite surprised question brought a light blush to her face. The last time he showed up at her door, she did a very wet "tango" under the shower with Kevin Lynch. The same Kevin Lynch she dumped only a few weeks ago after she found out he had a thing going on with another woman. She motioned to Dave to take place on her couch, right opposite her.

"Maybe because you are always showing up at the most uncommon times."

"Sorry, Kitten, but we just came back from Texas. I took the direct route form the airstrip."

"Ok, Rossi, spill it. What happened? Is everyone ok?"

"Yeah, we're good. Tired, but good and unharmed, if that's what you're asking. What about you?"

"Me?" She saw him nodding. "Why should there anything be wrong with me?"

Dave stood up, only to sit down closer to her. He grabbed her chin and raised it, forcing her to look him straight in the eye.

"Because we all know that something's wrong with you. We could hear it in your voice. It lacked the usual joy, and before you say it's because of the case, we both know that's not the truth."

For the first time in a long time, Penelope was at a loss for words. Sure, David Rossi was one of the best profilers in the States, maybe in the whole world. But she didn't thought that he would almost aim at the literally heart of the matter in quite no time.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Believe me, Kitten, if I tell you that even the sheriff and the deputy had noticed it."

"Really?"

"Really. Let me guess, it has something to do with a certain another computer tech, right?"

"Yeah, you're right. Kevin and I split up, a couple of weeks back."

"Did he end it?"

"No, it was me. After I found out he had a thing going on with the new lead secretary at Human Resources."

"Oh, Kitten, why didn't you tell anybody? I think Aaron and I would have come with a plan to give you more time to deal with it."

"You won't believe me, but going over every boring and small detail of our latest unsubs's life was the best way to deal with it. First, I didn't have to think about it for, let's say, 8 to 10 hours a day, and second, I was holed up in my "cave" long enough to not only avoid to run into him accidentally, but also to lick my wounds."

"But you're still hurting."

"Of course I am. How long did it take after your last divorce?"

"I don't know. And I'm not the man to be a example for that. But even I know a thing or two about living, especially when Spring is finally here."

"So you have a plan?"

"Yes I have, and since we're off the clock for the upcoming weekend, I suggest meeting at my house, tomorrow at 10."

And with that, Dave raised against to his feet, pressing a goodnight kiss to her hair, and was out of the door in under 2 minutes, leaving a quite dumbfounded Penelope behind.

* * *

The next morning came way too soon for her. And it was as if Dave Rossi was not only good at cracking the minds of criminals, he seemed to have a damn good connection to the heavens above. Outside her bedroom window was a beautiful, sunny and, for the D.C. area pretty uncommon, warm early spring day going on.

After a small breakfast, she drove her "Esther" over to Dave's estate. And although she had been here several times, she couldn't help but marvel over the beauty of the house. It was so fitting to his owner.

"Morning."

"Oh, hey, good morning. Sorry, but I just love your house."

"Never mind. That's why I bought it in the first place."

He led her to the kitchen, where the table was already set for a breakfast. And what kind of breakfast. Penelope saw things on display she didn't even know to exist.

"What's all of that?"

"Well, I think they call it breakfast."

"That I knew. But I don't know some of the things here on this table."

"Well, that's because these are specialties from a typical Italian breakfast."

He named every single item, telling stories about its origin and took her on a trip down his memory lane when he told her about what had happened when he had this one or that one. By the time they were ready, it was almost noon.

"Rossi, in case you didn't notice, it's counting down to High Noon."

"I noticed, but don't worry, we have plenty of time."

"For doing what?"

"For showing you that life is beautiful, or as they say in Italy, "la vita é bella". And I'm talking about more than one meaning."

"There's more to that?"

"Yeah. Look, Kitten, I know you're unique in every meaning. But even people like you need a heads up from time to time."

"A heads up for what?"

"That you only have one life to live. So don't gnaw on the past, live for the future. Lynch isn't the last man available on Earth. And I even happen to know one who really cares about you."

"You're talking about Derek, right?"

"No, not at all. Well, Derek, he cares about you like we all do – because you're our beacon in the darkness of our job. But one of us cares even more about you than that."

"Who is it?"

"That's something you have to find out on your own."

"And you stay in the darkness, pulling the strings."

"That's a bit harsh, but yes. I like to call it clearing the road ahead."

"It's still the same, isn't it?"

* * *

Later that day, exactly 90 minutes after the end of their breakfast, Dave and Pen were strolling through a suburb of Washington the Tech Goddess never had heard before. It looked a lot like one of those little villages you see in movies set in Italy, and Italian music could be heard nearly all the time. On the streets, merchants offered their goods, ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables to meat of all kinds, fish and sea fruits all the way to jewelry and clothes. But the most surprising detail was the fact that David Rossi not only was familiar with most of the families, he even spoke more Italian than English. They laughed and talked animatedly with the merchants, bought some things and had a good time in general before driving back to Dave's house.

"David Rossi, you sly dog. I mean, I know you for a couple of years now, but I never thought that you had so much of a true Italian in you."

"Well, Kitten, I'm a man of many faces."

"Ain't that the truth."

TBC?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

AN: Hi, guys and gals! First things first – thanks to everyone who reviewed the first part or put it on alert. You really made me happy. Since you asked so nicely, I give you, as promised, the continuation of the story. Set about a week after the events in Chapter 1. Heads up, there's a kind of a revelation hidden in there. Might contain probably some OOCness.

Disclaimer (which I forgot in Chapter 1): Sadly, the FBI's finest are not in my property. Only in my dream, which is the best way for everyone, believe me.

* * *

It was exactly a week after their trip to Washington's "Little Italy", when David Rossi went to set stage two of his plan in motion. Since he knew the details about her sour mood on the last case, it was high time to work on the other side of the plan, best known to him under the name Aaron Hotchner. Being the top profiler he was, Rossi recognized the change in the ways his younger friend treated the tech kitten in the last few weeks. For example, Aaron always went to see her in her office instead of summoning her to his lair. When he arrived at the office in the morning, he made a detour to her, placing a cup of coffee from the coffee shop around his corner on her desk, claiming that she recommended the shop to him in the first place. But David Rossi knew better. His long-time friend, the usual stoic and sometimes scaring Aaron Hotchner, was on a straight way to win the heart of Pen Garcia over.

When Aaron arrived back home from his trip to the mall with his son Jack, he was a bit surprised to see David sitting on the stairs of his doorstep. And he couldn't help but wonder about the real motives of his colleague/friend for visiting him on a Saturday.

"Dave, something's wrong? Do we have a case?"

"No, no. Don't worry, Aaron, everything's fine. Can't I come over and visit my "nephew"?"

Said "nephew" Jack was jumping up and down between the two men, showing his joy about having an afternoon with his "uncle" to the world.

"Of course you can. I was just a little bit surprised, sorry."

"Don't be sorry. After all we've seen the last couple of weeks, I'm not a bit surprised that you, like I think the rest of us, are a bit on the edge. And that's why I'm here."

"And what's your plan?"

"Why don't we go inside and I explain?"

"Sure, but first you could give me hand on the purchases."

Twenty minutes later found the two and a half men sitting on the porch, eating a bowl of mixed salad and sipping ice tea, enjoying the warm spring day and the down time as well.

"About your "plan"?"

"Well, I heard that…"

David couldn't finish his sentence, thanks to Aaron's phone ringing in the living room. Judging by the look on his friend's face, Rossi could deduct that it wasn't a case call from Strauss.

"What happened?"

Aaron joined them again, sitting down with a light smile gracing his lips.

"You were saying something when you were interrupted?"

"Yes. I heard that in a small town outside they have a circus festival this weekend. And since we're on down time, I thought I could take Jack to the circus."

"Did you know about the phone call coming in right now?"

"No, why should I? Who was it anyway?"

"Penelope. She asked me if I could help her refurnish her apartment. Do you have any idea why she's asking me instead of Derek or Kevin?"

"Well, about Derek – I don't know. But about Kevin? Well, I heard it through the grapevine that they had a breakup a few weeks ago."

"Which would finally explain her sour mood on the last case, right?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"You know what? I think you should take Jack to the circus, and I'm gonna lend a hand to Penelope."

With that, Aaron rose up from the table, not noticing the bright smile David had plastered on his face the second Aaron's back was turned to him.

* * *

While David Rossi drove with his precious cargo to the circus, Aaron Hotchner pulled up at Penelope's apartment building, parking his SUV next to her "Esther". He still had his doubts about being here in the first place, but on the other hand he couldn't care less about what other people thought about. They were both, as he knew now, single, and right now, they weren't coworkers at the FBI, they were just two friends helping each other out. And there was nothing wrong with that.

"Hey, bossman, you plan on rooting right there or moving over to me?"

Her bubbly, joyful voice brought him out of his train of thoughts. He blinked a few times, then put a full dimpled smile on his face and walked over to her.

"Hey, Penelope, no bossman today. Just Aaron, okay?"

"Oookay… Aaron. Come in."

They entered her apartment, and although he had been here previously, he couldn't help but smile about the uniqueness of the interior. Different styles were mixed up in a way that practically screamed her name.

"So, you said something about refurnishing on the phone?"

"Yeah, but before we go shopping, I need a second opinion. Follow me."

Without waiting on him, she strolled over to her bedroom door, stopping right in the door.

"You wanna get a new bed?"

"Yeah. But which one?"

He grabbed her by her shoulders, turning her softly around to face him. With two fingers under her chin he made her to look him in the eye. But he wasn't quite prepared at the emotions he could read there. Insecurity, love, angst, hope. What was going on with their tech goddess?

"Penelope, why don't you tell the real reason why I'm here?"

"I can't."

She said it with such a small voice that he had to strain his ears to hear it.

"Why can't you say it?"

In the meantime, he had led her over to her couch, sitting them both down.

"I'm… I'm afraid that you would want me to transfer to another unit or to quit the FBI for good."

"Pen, you know me better than I do myself. And you always try to see the good in people in the first place, so why would you think such things about me?"

"Because…" She practically started to squirm when his dark eyes literally dove into hers. "I don't know… too many reasons… because it's wrong in the first place."

"What is wrong, Penelope?" Her look gave it away for her. "You mean, having feelings for a man who's supposed to be your boss?"

She didn't answer him, only nodded her head in a way to say yes. Once again, he put two fingers under her chin to raise her head, in more than one manner of speaking.

"Well, what would you say if I tell you that this man, your boss, has stronger feelings than only friendship for you for quite a time now? That he's worried sick about you dealing with the gruesome cases we had in the last time? That he has to force himself to stop consoling you in front of the team, afraid that it might backfire at you? That…."

He was stopped by her lips crashing down on his, jumping over all their fears and ready to take on the next level with him.

* * *

Back at the circus, David and Jack had a lot of fun. Especially Jack was enthralled with the clowns, while Dave enjoyed the artistes a bit more. But the most enjoyable thing on this weekend was the short text message he found on his cell phone after exiting the circus tent. Clipped as always, Aaron asked him to keep Jack for the rest of the weekend. As it seemed, the man had more urgent topics to tend to. With a smile on his face, he got into his car, driving his fast asleep young companion back to his house, happy to have brought some happiness to his colleagues.

FIN


End file.
